The present invention generally relates to air bag safety restraint systems and more particularly to a passenger side air bag restraint system utilizing a deployment door having a hinge retainer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,833 is illustrative of prior art passenger side air bag safety restraint systems utilizing a deployment door having a single hinge and a tearable seam. As is often the case, the deployment door is manufactured utilizing a flexible hinge to permit the door to open upon deployment of an air bag after the tear seam has been broken. To reduce the cost of the deployment door, typically the substrate and the integral hinge are manufactured of a thermal plastic (TPO). The hinge portion of the cover includes a flange having a number of fastener openings which facilitate attachment of the door to a structural component of the vehicle situated just below the instrument panel or alternatively, to a reaction can which typically houses a gas generator and air bag. As it is known, when the air bag deploys, the deployment door is subject to extremely large forces which are transmitted to the hinge and flange upon opening of the door. More specifically, the reaction forces are absorbed by the flange at the interface of the fasteners and the fastener holes. Depending upon the magnitude of the deployment forces acting on the door, a fracture or fractures could be created in the hinge flange.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved mechanism to retain a deployment door to a cooperating structure. Accordingly, the invention comprises: an apparatus for use in an air bag safety restraint system comprising: a deployment door comprising a first part, which may include a tear seam along one side thereof, attached to a cooperating structure to permit the door to open when the tear seam is stressed, a central portion connected to the first part and a hinge means connected to the central portion and integral therewith. The apparatus includes a door retainer bracket comprising a plurality of lands and a plurality of bosses each boss having a fastener hole therein. The door retainer bracket is fitted to a flange of the cover such that the lands lie against flat portions of the flange and the bosses extend into corresponding openings of the flange and lie generally parallel to an opposite side of the flange.
A door retainer plate is mated against the other side of the flange including fastener openings aligned to the fastener openings in the door retainer bracket and fastener means extend through the fastener openings for attaching the door retainer bracket, flange and door retainer plate to the cooperating structure.
Many other objects and purposes of the invention will be clear from the following detailed description of the drawings.